Ezekiel 36:8-32

New International Version

⁸“‘But you, mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit^(A) for my people Israel, for they will soon come home. ⁹I am concerned for you and will look on you with favor; you will be plowed and sown,^(B) ¹⁰and I will cause many people to live on you—yes, all of Israel. The towns will be inhabited and the ruins^(C) rebuilt.^(D) ¹¹I will increase the number of people and animals living on you, and they will be fruitful^(E) and become numerous. I will settle people^(F) on you as in the past^(G) and will make you prosper more than before.^(H) Then you will know that I am the Lord. ¹²I will cause people, my people Israel, to live on you. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance;^(I) you will never again deprive them of their children.

¹³“‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because some say to you, “You devour people^(J) and deprive your nation of its children,” ¹⁴therefore you will no longer devour people or make your nation childless, declares the Sovereign Lord. ¹⁵No longer will I make you hear the taunts of the nations, and no longer will you suffer the scorn of the peoples or cause your nation to fall, declares the Sovereign Lord.^(K)’”

Israel’s Restoration Assured

¹⁶Again the word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁷“Son of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own land, they defiled it by their conduct and their actions. Their conduct was like a woman’s monthly uncleanness^(L) in my sight.^(M) ¹⁸So I poured out^(N) my wrath on them because they had shed blood in the land and because they had defiled it with their idols. ¹⁹I dispersed them among the nations, and they were scattered^(O) through the countries; I judged them according to their conduct and their actions.^(P) ²⁰And wherever they went among the nations they profaned^(Q) my holy name, for it was said of them, ‘These are the Lord’s people, and yet they had to leave his land.’^(R) ²¹I had concern for my holy name, which the people of Israel profaned among the nations where they had gone.^(S)

²²“Therefore say to the Israelites, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: It is not for your sake, people of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name,^(T) which you have profaned^(U) among the nations where you have gone.^(V) ²³I will show the holiness of my great name,^(W) which has been profaned^(X) among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord,^(Y) declares the Sovereign Lord, when I am proved holy^(Z) through you before their eyes.^(AA)

²⁴“‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.^(AB) ²⁵I will sprinkle^(AC) clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse^(AD) you from all your impurities^(AE) and from all your idols.^(AF) ²⁶I will give you a new heart^(AG) and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone^(AH) and give you a heart of flesh.^(AI) ²⁷And I will put my Spirit^(AJ) in you and move you to follow my decrees^(AK) and be careful to keep my laws.^(AL) ²⁸Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people,^(AM) and I will be your God.^(AN) ²⁹I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine^(AO) upon you. ³⁰I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine.^(AP) ³¹Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices.^(AQ) ³²I want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares the Sovereign Lord. Be ashamed^(AR) and disgraced for your conduct, people of Israel!^(AS)